LestersLegends.com

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By Cy Holt.
Seeing how I cant turn on ESPN (or any other news program for that matter) without hearing about the Patriots “deflategate”, I decided to research the impact this scandal had on the fan favorite team for the Super Bowl. It seemed like after last years Super Bowl victory, everyone was cheering for them to do as badly as possible. It was as if everyone turned against them. Even up to the NFC championship game everyone wanted a Packers win..
When that didn’t happen the world, to me, turned to the Patriots as the knights in shining armor that could take down the reigning champion Seahawks. But then it happened. The story leaked that the Pats could have purposely deflated several footballs in the AFC championship game against the Colts, making them easier to grip, throw, and catch in the cold New England weather. Whether or not they are guilty, there is a strange feeling in the air as America chooses a side for this years Super Bowl..
I wanted to see the reaction of the NFL fans… so I started local. I posted a picture on Instagram asking everyone to comment who they thought would win the big game. 43 people said Seahawks, Hawks, Seattle, or not the Patriots. Only 11 people commented for the Pats. It shocked me, because I feel that people who are rooting for the Seahawks (that aren’t from Seattle) are considered bandwagon fans as of late. I wanted to then find out if that was just a local trend or if America agreed..
So I jumped on over to ESPN.com and found three polls on the matter. The first one asks, “Who do you think will win the Super Bowl?” Not surprisingly 55 percent of the nation predicted that New England would win. But the chart shifts to almost 55 percent in favor of Seattle when asked, “Who they will be rooting for?” The last poll compliments the second. It asks, “Do you consider the Patriots cheaters?” 63 percent of America said yes. 63 percent! That speaks volumes about who the fan favorite team is this year..
If the Pats win then 63 percent of the nation, in my opinion, will always say, “well, they did use those deflated balls”. There will always be a mini asterisks in their minds. On the other hand if Seattle wins, it is a clean win. And the deflated balls topic will slowly fade away..
To conclude, I believe originally most people wanted to see Tom Brady and the Pats whoop on the very cocky, but very talented Seahawks at first. But now I believe that because of “deflategate” most people are backing the Hawks and want to see the so-called “cheaters” lose..

.The Super Bowl is one of the most popular sporting events in the world, and it enjoys a massive amount of betting, too — both online and traditional. While almost everyone has been to a Super Bowl party, there are still plenty of people who have yet to place a wager on the biggest game in American football..

If you’re new to betting on sports, but you’re looking to make the Super Bowl a little more interesting this time, you may want to consider placing a bet or two. Here is a closer look at some of the language and culture around gambling and the Super Bowl to help you can make an educated wager online or in a casino..

The Super Bowl is nothing more than a championship game between two professional, 16-team football conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFC and the AFC were at one time separate football leagues known as the American Football League and the National Football League that eventually came together to form the NFL. Since 1970, at the end of every season, these two conferences engage in post-season play to determine the champion of each conference. The two champion teams then face one another in the Super Bowl every February, two weeks later to determine the overall winner. While the National Football League only exists within the United States, the winners of the Super Bowl are still called “world champions.”.

Important Gambling Terms.

There is a lot of very specific gambling language that, if you take the time to understand, will make betting on the Super Bowl a lot more straightforward. Of course, understanding won’t necessarily ensure you win more money than you lose, but it will help you make the type of bets you want to make. Toward that end, here is some of the common lingo surrounding Super Bowl gambling:.

Book. Also called sportsbooks and bookmakers, a book is any establishment that accepts bets on sports outcomes.

Favorite. The team in the Super Bowl that many expect to win.

Longshot. A team that probably won’t win. However, if they do win, the payout on your bet is likely to be higher than if you’d gone with a team with better odds.

Handicapping. Assigning odds to a game that appears mismatched in order to make it more even in terms of betting. The person doing the handicapping is called a handicapper.

Point Spread. One of the most important ideas within sports gambling, “the spread” is the most ubiquitous type of handicapping that takes place in football. It works like this: When two teams face off, one is usually considered a favorite over the other. Say the favorite is assumed to be two touchdowns better than their opponent. In other words, they’re favored to win by 14 points. To offset this two-touchdown advantage, a handicapper will assign -14 to the team favored to win. This process allows even-money bets to take place. So, if you place a bet on the favorite to win in this scenario, that team must win by 15 points of more. If you place a bet on the team that isn’t favored to win (also called the “underdog”) in this scenario, the underdog must win or lose by no more than 13 points for you to win the bet.

Push. A push occurs whenever there is a tie against the point spread. When this happens, all money is returned to bettors.

Line. This term refers to the listed odds on the Super Bowl teams.

Juice. This is the fee charged by a book for processing your bet.

Money Line. If you don’t wish to bet against the point spread, you can simply bet on a winner, but bear in mind that the favorite will pay out less than 1-to-1. The underdog will pay out more than 1-to-1, so you should only place this type of bet when you’re going with the supposed loser.

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Betting on the Super Bowl can be as complicated or as simple as you’d like it to be. From a friendly $5 wager between friends to a sophisticated series of bets placed through numerous online sites, the choice is yours. But hopefully, this little primer will get you well on your way whichever path you choose..

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Pro Bowl Result: 1-0.
Regular Season Lock Picks: 29-5 (.853)
Regular Season Total: 170-85-1 (.666)
Playoffs Picks: 6-4 (.600)
Pro Bowl Pick: 1-0 (1.000)
Overall Total: 177-89-1 (.665).Super Bowl XLVII Pick:
Even though Ray Lewis feels that the Super Bowl is his destiny, I believe the San Francisco 49ers defense, along with their newfound dynamic offense, will be too much. As much as I would like John to win the Harbaugh Bowl, I think Jim will be the winner...
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